X-ray apparatus.



M. ALDEN.

X-RAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, I915.

1,184,503. I Patented May 23,1916.

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MILTON ALDEN, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

X-RAY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

i Patented May 23, 1916.

Application filed September 11, 1915. Serial No. 50,135.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, MILTON ALDEN, a citi- 'zen of the United States of America, residin the city of Springfield, county of In Hiimpden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in X-Ray Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved X-ray apparatus and, in particular, to an apparaespccially for use by dentists and surgeons in making X-ray photographs of the teeth, or so-called mouth 'photographs. This particular field of X-ray photography has found favor in modern dentistry and, indeed, is being so extensively used that apparatus for mouth photography is fast becoming considered as a necessary 'part of every dentists equipment. X-ray apparatus for mouth photography is of course in general the same as that used in other fields but I have found there are cer tain peculiar requirements encountered in mouth photography that are not usually found in other forms of X-ray photography.

These peculiar requirements relate principally to the supporting devices for the X-ray tube, and, while the usual X-ray apparatus is generally suitable, I have found that an improved supporting system for the tube itself is of very great advantage. For example, in making photographs of teeth, a sensitized film, suitably protected by lightproof and waxed papers, is inserted in the mouth behind the particular tooth to be photographed and the tube is brought up as close to the face of the patient as possible and s0 directed that the rays issuing from the tube are at substantially right angles to the film. Careful and accurate adjustment of the tube relatively to the tooth to be photographed and the film, are essential in order to secure a photograph which accurately portrays the true conditions in thetooth. It is easily possible with careless ad justments to secure distorted photographs which do not show the true relations between the various parts of the toothaand obviously, such photographs are useless, In addition to the desirability-for careful and accurate adjustment of the X-ray tube, I have found that the latter should be almost universally movable as the apparatus must be capable of taking photographs of every tooth in the mouth at various angles. Thus, it will be seen that a supporting apparatus for the X-ray tube of a special nature is desired to meet the exacting conditions encountered in mouth photography. The supporting apparatus should not only be flexible but it is essential. that it be freely movable and yet capable of holding the tube in any of its various positions of adjustment without effort on the part of the operator. For example, the dentist, with one hand places the film in position behind the tooth and with the other hand moves the tube into proper position. Inasmuch as one hand only is available to move the tube, the supporting devices should be readily movable when the tube is moved. Thus, the desirable condition is that the supporting devices follow the tube when moved by the operator and hold the tube in the exact osition to which it was moved, when the tu e is released by the operator. It will therefore be appreciated that the supporting devices should be light, freely and universally movable and yet capable of holding the tube in adjusted position. Apparatus heretofore used for supporting X-racy tubes does not meet these requirements. enerally the supporting structure is cumbersome, unwieldly and provided with a number of clamping screws, which have to be manipulated to permit movement of the supporting elements. Necessarily such apparatus is awkward to handle and is not convenient for the purpose described. It is desirable to have the apparatus instantly adjustable for rapid work in order to cause as little inconvenience as possible to the patient.

The object of this invention is to provide in an X-ray apparatus an improved arrangement of supporting devicesfor the X-ray tube which is characterized by free and flexible movement to permit ready and convenient adjustment of the X-ray tube to any position desired and thereafter to hold .the tube in any of its various positions of adjustment.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of a portable nature particularly adapted are for X-ray photography wherein the supporting devices for the tube and the necessary electrical conductors leading to the tube are freely movable by movement of the tube to permit adjustment of the latter in all directions and yet are arranged to remain in the positions to which they are moved to hold and support the tube in its adjusted position.

' certain frictionally movable connections be tween elements of,the supporting apparatus.

Referring to the drawings: the apparatus involves a suitable cabinet 1 mounted on casters as shown, which preferably is provided with compartments as indicated at 2 and 3. This cabinet serves as a portable support for the tube-holding devices, as will later appear, and in addition, may contain within the compartments 2 and 3 the necessary electrical apparatus for supplying the tube; The electrical arrangement within the cabinet is not illustrated as it is Well I so known and is not essential to an understanding of the invention. The principal function of the cabinet 1 is to form a housing for a unitary electrical generating plant and a support for the tubeholding devices, which is conveniently movable from point to point,-as desired.

. Secured to one face of the cabinet 1 are a pair of spaced brackets 4: which are formed with opposed conical bearings 5 (see Fig. 4) and rotatably mounted in the latter is a member 6. A member 7 is fastened to the member 6 by the bolts shown and both these members are formed with opposed conical bearings to receive a double frusto conical part 8 in which an arm 9 is fixed in any suitable manner. This structure just described constitutes a universal joint in which the parts are frictionally movable and in which the friction between the movable elements may be varied as desired by the bolts shown, in an obvious manner. The arm 9 carried by this universal joint has a tubular portion 10 (see Fig. 3) and slidably in the latter is a plunger 32 (Fig. 3), which has a plurality of slits 33 to permit a limited frictional engagement with the walls of the tube 10. An arm 11 is connected to plunger 32 and extends from the tube 10. Thus, the parts 10 and 11 constitute a telescopic arm which is extensible and collapsible against a slight amount of friction. In practice the frictional engagement in the telescopic arm and in the universal joint is just sufficient to hold the parts in whatever position they are placed and, since the parts are of light construction, the amount of friction necessary for the above purpose is not sufficient to interfere with free movement.

The upper end of the tube 11 is pivotally connected at 12 to a bar 13 and this pivoted connection has also sufficient friction to hold the bar in any of the positions to which it may be moved Without presenting any great resistance to its movement. This bar 13 .has at each end outwardly extending arms 14: and 15 .which are spaced from one another and arranged to hold the ends of an X-ray tube 16 therebetween. A screw 17 is arranged to draw the arms 11 and 15 together to engage the tube 16 with a slight amount of frictlon.

The tube 16inay be of any suitable kind but preferably is formed of lead glass and To permit free rotation of the tube 16in its holders 14 and 15, the regulator 20 is preferably'pivotally supported from the part 19 at one end and by a link 21 at the other end, which latter is pivotally connected to the bar 13, .as shown.- This arrangement permits free rotative movement of the tube through a wide arc and maintains the regulator in proper position without effort on the part of the operator.

22 represent the usual terminals of the tube 16, and 23 are the electrical terminals ofthe generating apparatus. Suitable posts 2a are provided at each end of the bar 13 which areclectrically connected by springs 25 to the terminals 22 and one of these posts is connected by a Wire 26 to the link 21 of the regulator 20. The terminals 23- and 24 are interconnected by a series of telescopic tubes 27 which are freely movable within one another to permit ready extension and contraction of the connection between the terminals 23 and 24. The end tubes of each series are connected by universal joints 28 and 29 to the terminals 23 and 24 respectively so that the tube-supporting devices may be moved at will without necessitating any attention to or adjustment of the electrical connections. The usual spark gap members 30 are provided, which are mounted on top of the cabinet 1 and electrically connected by wires 31 with the terminals 23.

When a photograph is to be taken the cabinet 1 may conveniently be brought to a positionad acent the chair of the patient,

as the entire apparatus is characterized by lightness and freedom of movement. Thereafter, the operator with one hand places his film in position behind the tooth to be photographed and then adjusts the tube to direct the rays issuing from the window 18 at the proper angle. To accomplish this adjustment the operator simply grasps the tube 16 and moves it to the desired position almost as freely as if there were no supporting devices therefor. The latter, being readily movable, follow up each movement of the tube and, when the latter is released by the operator, the supporting devices hold 11, is movable in any direction within wide limits and is freely extensible and contractible.

Thus an improved sup orting apparatus has been provided for an -ray tube which is particularly characterized by ease and flexibility of adjustment to permit ready and convenient movement of the tube to any desired position with a minimum-of effort on the part of the operator. It is recognized that various modifications may be made m the specific structure heretofore described, for purposes of illustrating a preferred form, without departing from the scope of the invention which is pointed out more particularly in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for holding an X-ray tube comprising, in combination, a suitable support, an arm mounted thereon for lateral and vertical swinging movements, a member mounted in said arm slidable and rotatable relatively thereto, a bar pivotally connected to said member and means on said bar arranged to receive and rotatably support an X-ray tube.

2. An apparatus for holding an X-ray tube, comprising in combination, a suitable supporting member, an arm comprising telescopically arranged sections, oonnectedto said member by a universal joint and a frame pivotally connected to the outerend of said arm and arranged to receive and rotatably support an X-ray tube, all constructed and arranged to permit convenient movement of the latter to various positions of adjustment.

3. An apparatus for supporting an X-ray tube, comprising a suitable support, an arm mounted thereon for swinging movement in two directions, a second arm slidably and rotatably mounted in the first named arm, and a frame carried by the second arm arranged to rotatably support an Xray tube, said arms and frame constructed and arranged to be movable by movement of the tube and to hold the latter in any of the various positions of adjustment to which it may be moved.

4. A portable X-r ay apparatus comprising in combination, a sultable X-ray tube, a wheeled cabinet adapted to contain electrical devices to supply the tube, terminals on the cabinet adapted to be connected to said devices, an extensible and contractible arm mounted on said cabinet for swinging movement in two directions, a frame pivotally connected to said devices, an extensible and contractible arm mounted on said cabinet for swinging movement in two directions, a frame pivotally connected to said arm and arranged to rotatably support said tube, terminals on said frame, connections from the terminals to said tube and extensible and contractible conductors extending between'and connected to the terminals on said cabinet and on said frame by universal joints, whereby the tube may be moved to various positions of adjustment without adjusting the electrical connections between the tube and said cabinet.

- 5. A portable X-ray apparatus, comprising in combination an X-ray tube, a cabinet, adapted to contain electrical devices to supply said tube, terminals on said cabinet adapted to be connected to said devices, an arm mounted on said cabinet for vertical and lateral swinging movement and arranged to be automatically held in various positions of adjustment by the friction of the relatively movable parts, a second .arm slidable and rotatable in said first named arm and also arranged to be automatically held in various positions of adjustment by friction, a frame mounted on said arm, arranged to support said tube and electrical connections between the tube and said terminals comprising a plurality of telescopically arranged conductors and means including universal joints to connect the conductors to 

